Paradox
by RoastPigeon
Summary: After an accident (or is it?) Deidara gets to know what Tobi really thinks of him. Slightly hinted tobidei, nothing explicit.


**Paradox**

It started out as a normal mission, yet it became the catalyst of an unstoppable process.

Deidara hated having Tobi as a fighting comrade; it was certain on the inside and on the outside. His value equaled zero since he never did anything and so missions were like a single-man scouting. Slowly, the attention Deidara payed to his allies decreased, as battles went on. At one point he even started lacking cooperation with his own clay statues. He was well aware of his change, though, and it made him blame one more thing on Tobi. At least he didn't fight back when he was scolded. Hell, at least Deidara could finally feel what it was like to scold someone. It had always been the other way around.

However, once Tobi started to even start _disturbing_ battles, the bomber decided to do something with the issue. The poor guy looked like he wanted to help but only made things worse, getting in his companion's way and thus making him unable to detonate bombs. Because, as much as Deidara found Tobi annoying, he couldn't kill him. Letting out anger on weaker ones would be a sneaky move, something Itachi would do.

So, there they were, quickly descending from the sky on a white clay-dragon, Tobi still mortified after a previous speech about his uselessness. Deidara looked around for the enemies and found out they've been ambushed a few seconds later, in the form of a kunai flying towards his right eye at full-speed. He cursed, not because he couldn't dodge it (he was an S-ranked nin, so the knife got deviated by another one he pulled out), but for the fact that he ran right into their trap. Maybe if he didn't have to scold Tobi, he could've payed attention. Lately, every problem in his life seemed to be the masked kid's fault.

Deidara's tactic was mostly the same every time. If the group of enemies moves together, surround them with clay figures. If they are separated, get them one by one. This time, the first case occurred. Their attackers were average ninja from the small village, roughly one kilometer away from the glade they were on. While the arsonist ripped open his pouches to get some clay for his C2, Tobi also hopped off the dragon, daydreaming instead of taking part of the counterattack.

Statues exploded after every "katsu", but to Deidara's dismay, the enemies were able to dodge almost all of the explosions. They were probably a specific group with defence techniques developed especially for his jutsus... The ex-Iwa-nin felt a nice tingling in his chest. He adored being a villain, having 'Wanted' posters of his face all around and seeing the way people shivered right before being erased by his art. His pride, the most important thing for him, was the only personality trait he could appreciate about himself and so, his actions centered around maintaining it.

Unfortunately, Tobi had apparently decided to ruin it for him again. The weird guy was approaching, loping happily through the battle ground.

"Back off, you idiot! Hm!"

Deidara barely had the time to detonate the C1 attached to the kunoichi's neck who had launched herself at Tobi. Now only two of them were left, but the Akatsuki-pair still had the chance of screwing up if the masked nin couldn't sit still for a second. Deidara reached out to his clay bags, an expression of anger appearing on his face when he found them empty.

"Looks like there's only taijutsu left for you." stated the bigger one of the two men before the bomber.

"You're still going to lose, hm!"

Deidara dashed towards them, pulling out six kunais simultaneously. The opponents weren't short on weapons either; this was going to take time. The bomber gathered all his concentration before engaging in a meticulous hand-to-hand combat with the two ninjas. Suddenly, the smaller amongst them increased his pace, which was harder and harder to pick up for Deidara; especially because the other enemy was suspiciously backing out.

He could only shoot one glimpse behind his back to see where the kunai thrown by the taller man would end up; and that time was enough for him to see the way it pierced the geometrical middle of Tobi's back. His heart skipped a beat. He swore to himself he wouldn't let the idiot die like this. Regardless of the fatherly worry surfacing in his mind, he had to pay attention not to get killed by the smaller nin and couldn't see how bad his partner's condition was.

"Let me see the wound, hm."

"Nah, Senpai, I told you it's nothing!"

That day, Deidara started to question his mental sanity and his eyesight. He could've sworn he saw the kunai hitting Tobi, but apparently, the idiot was completely fine and he didn't even look like he was trying to hide a wound. The masked man jumped around on the road as if nothing had happened while Deidara followed at a slower pace, still troubled about the whole issue. They didn't have a long way ahead before arriving at the village.

Akatsuki members had two choices when they had to infiltrate in a village: wearing their uniform cloaks and intimidating civilians with their authority or disguising themselves. Since Tobi and Deidara didn't have enough time nor spare clothes, they had to stick with the first plan. The problem was... Tobi, of course. As always.

"Oi, Tobi. Try to stop jumping around for a second while we're on the street. Then you can display your ignorance all you want in the inn. Hm." the bomber hissed, grabbing the sleeve of his partner's cloak with just enough force to stop him.

"Okie-dokie, I'll act super-cool, just like Senpai!" he responded enthusiastically, showing a thumb-up.

And he did indeed manage to be quiet. He lasted exactly the five minutes it took them to find a decent-looking place to sleep. In the waiting room, Tobi sat down on the couch while Deidara quickly calculated how much money they would have left after sleeping in the inn for one night. The masked nin watched him as he arranged and re-arranged little piles of coins. Deidara could be quite a down-to-earth person when he wanted to, although he probably directed most of his thoughts to his inner artistic world with abstract clay figures and exploding planets. That was something Tobi actually admired him for despite being older and a completely different person than who the bomber believed him to be. The younger male even got some kind of obsession over him getting hurt by that kunai...

"Damn, there I was hoping there'd be two single rooms this time, un." Deidara sighed in disappointment at the counter. He picked up the key and waved at his partner who hopped up and followed him to the room. As soon as the door was closed, he planted himself in front of Tobi, crossing his arms.

"Now show me the wound, I don't want you to get an infection or die from blood loss, hm."

"But Deidara-senpai..."

"No 'buts', now don't be afraid, show me!"

"But there's no wound." Deidara chuckled at that.

"Don't think I didn't see that kunai piercing your chest, hm!"

He decided he got tired of Tobi's little games and complaints and reached out to his shirt. Deidara's hand got stopped by a gloved one. His eyes opened wide at the tight grip his partner had on his wrist. Well, the kid was well built; maybe he couldn't control his own strength. Yes, that had to be the reason, the bomber thought. As if he could sense the other's bewilderment, Tobi loosened the grip.

"Tell me one valid reason why you don't want to show me your wound, hm!"

"There's no wound, Deidara."

"Not using the honorific anymore now, are you?"

Tobi couldn't reply. He made a mistake; and it wasn't the fact he forgot about 'senpai' for a second. If he revealed himself, he would have to call the arsonist something like 'kid', considering their ages. But his name, said so casually, sounded way too... intimate. The ex-Iwa-nin didn't know anything about him and Deidara's views on the world were nearly incomprehensible, too. What he said sounded like he wanted to create a bond with his partner, whereas he decided he wouldn't need more people to complicate his life since all the tragical events from his past.

"You're not getting away with this. Now I want to see that damn hole on your chest especially because you're trying to hide it from me, hm!" Deidara smirked confidently. Tobi tried not to go out of control as the other tried to push him down onto the bed.

"Senpai, stop that!" he yelped.

"You bet I won't, I'm really curious! Hm!"

Tobi _swore_ he would go out of control if Deidara didn't stop right away.

"What do you have to hide anyway? You're just a kid, hm."

And that made him snap.

"Wha-"

The bomber couldn't even finish his exclamation before falling on the bed. He turned around, only to see his once silly partner standing above him. It was almost scary.

"What the hell just happened?" he muttered. A completely different voice answered.

"You passed right through me, just like that kunai."

Deidara glared at him from the bed, mouth wide open and legs slightly apart.

"That doesn't make any sense..."

"It's just a technique, it doesn't have to make sense."

Before his companion could say another word, Tobi lifted his shirt just enough to show his unscathed abdomen.

"See?"

Deidara remained silent and contemplated. Apparently, he couldn't process the information. As far as he knew, this jutsu was called _kamui_ and was characteristic of the Uchiha bloodline. He was used to surprises, no, _trained _to encounter surprises, but this left him in shock.

"I see... Paired up with an Uchiha, huh? Damn that Itachi, I'm sure he was the one who suggested this. Scum still knows how to get to me, hm." the arsonist muttered. It was more like a cussing to himself, he would figure out how to deal with Tobi -or whoever it was- sometime later.

Of course, Tobi could see Deidara suddenly lashing out with a common kitchen knife (he'd lost all his kunais in the previous battle) from his earlier place. It was obviously an impulsive attack, otherwise the artist would have considered the Uchiha's ability to dematerialize his body. He landed in front of an ancient-styled cupboard in the other half of the simple tatami-room they were renting. First it looked like he could stand on his feet, however, he lost his balance due to the high speed he had acquired during the jump and muffled the fall with a roll.

In taijutsu, any experienced ninja knew one thing for sure: once you're on the floor, you're not getting up anymore. The few moments of distraction were enough for Tobi to quickly position himself above Deidara with his knees at the younger male's sides, immobilizing him by pinning his wrists to the ground.

"You were looking forward to fight me as soon as I didn't have my clay, right?" Deidara chuckled in cruel disbelief.

"You're the one who attacked me."

The bomber ignored Tobi's responses and kept on talking in a cynical tone.

"What is your name? Who are you?"

"I might or might not be Madara Uchiha." the masked nin replied after reflecting for a while.

"Well then, Madara. How does it feel to have me held down like this? Do you enjoy feeling superior? Do you consider yourself powerful? Or don't you think our positions would be reversed without your fancy family jutsus?"

There was too much tension already and Tobi decided not to feed it. He let go and moved from his position, standing up and walking away. Deidara couldn't bring himself to get up for a while. He tried to imprint the new information about the other man in his brain, but he still wasn't used to the change. Instead of a counterattack, he stared at Tobi's back, which seemed incredibly wide after his revelation. It's funny how sometimes people see others' appearance differently after acquiring information unrelated to the physical aspect...

"I'm not looking for a conflict." Tobi finally spoke "And being your pair was my choice, don't blame it on Itachi."

Deidara smirked to himself with a 'tch' and muttered "Someone sure loves their family, hm." before turning towards the other man and speaking out.

"Then why?"

The Uchiha turned around.

"It was troublesome to choose who to cooperate with, but when I saw one of your fights..." a brief pause "When I saw you fighting I knew it would be you." he stepped closer and knelt down before Deidara.

"All the other members are strange people but really easy to figure out once you get to know them. Kakuzu goes after money, Hidan after religious beliefs. Kisame seeks honor and companionship while Itachi wants to help his brother. Zetsu is led by hunger. Sasori wanted immortality. Pein wants to speak to the world and Konan longs for a lost love."

The arsonist's bewildered face indicated that he had no idea where the discourse was going.

"But you? What's your motivation? You would say 'Art', and really, the superficial layer of your ideology is simple. You say art is fleeting. But wouldn't you be able to make more art if you stayed alive? Why do you live if your ideal life is a short one?" Tobi turned his head slightly.

"You are a paradox and you fascinate me. That is why I wanted to be your partner."

Many people have coveted in fear before Deidara's art and the rest of them looked down on it; Tobi was the first person who was trying to understand it and the artist didn't know how to deal with the situation; on one hand, he was eager when it came to his art, on the other hand, the other was still an Uchiha. But maybe he had to try and see things differently, detaching himself from his judgement on the clan.

He opened his mouth and his voice came out rough for being quiet for so long.

"Are you really interested in my art?"

"I am." Tobi said while standing up. Deidara did the same.

"This is the last time I'm giving a chance to the Uchiha, just to make it clear. But as long as you deactivate your sharingan and act humble around me, I will overlook your origins, hm."

Despite him having his mask on, the Uchiha's smile was almost visible.

"Thank you... Deidara."

"Go to sleep, I will tell you everything tomorrow, hm."

Their futons were in two different corners of the room. Deidara let his hair down and took off the Akatsuki robe for the night; Tobi went to sleep just the way he was. It was almost full moon outside and the white light invaded the room. The surroundings were so bright and neat it looked like daylight or at least dawn.

A few hours later Tobi left his bed and went to the terrace. The sound woke up his partner too, who sneaked behind the other's shadow cast on the rice paper door. The taller man jolted at the new presence behind his back when Deidara appeared on the outside area.

"What are you doing out here?" the ex-Iwa-nin asked, scratching his head.

"Insomnia."

"I woke up pretty easily too. I think it has to do with the moon, hm."

"So, what's with us now?" Tobi inquired.

"What do you mean 'with us'?"

"Do you hate me?"

Deidara closed his eyes and sighed.

"We'll see about that. Right now... No, I don't think so. Hm."

"I was just thinking I haven't had any friends since _then_"

"What _then_?"

"When the closest thing to a friend I've ever had killed the one I loved."

"You must've had it hard if you chose _me _as a friend, hm."

Tobi shot a small smile at him and then remembered it was pointless to do that with the mask on. He would take that off one day, maybe. Then he stopped thinking about the past and the future and replied.

"Either that or I am really fond of you."

* * *

><p><em>AN: _

_ I just realized how much mathematics I put in this fic ._. It took me a little long to write it, but it's finished, and with that, I'm out of my Writer's Block. I'm horrible at endings, but I felt like it didn't need more. It's always hard to do something balanced if you have explicit romance; some people will go too far with the smut, some with the fluff and great part of the rest will be simply really OOC. The solution? No explicit romance. It's still hinted though. I could continue this and make it evolve into a lemon, but I won't. My fic, my choice. _


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